[SOLVED] virtualbox Linux guest, dynamic hdd

qrange · 10-05-2018, 01:47 PM

'dynamically allocated storage' grows over time due to obvious reasons (updates, etc..).
could 'trim' be used to shrink it automatically on file delete?
thanks.

business_kid · 10-05-2018, 02:04 PM

Don't think so. Trim understands hd partitions, but would probably see the dynamic disk as one big hex file. Some filesystems wouldn't take kindly to being altered on the sly while the VM was off.

You'd have to run trim from inside the VM. Then it might work.

michaelk · 10-05-2018, 02:57 PM

Not when you delete files but it will respond to trim commands if the VDI is configured with the discard option.

http://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch0...-storageattach

https://superuser.com/questions/6465...ommand-support

business_kid · 10-06-2018, 05:48 AM

Code:

VBoxManage storageattach

Is this console control (e.g. in a server environment without X) or Point & click in X?

hydrurga · 10-07-2018, 08:40 AM

What I do to compact my dynamic vdis from time to time is:

• Delete any snapshots.

• Boot up into VM.

• Free up space:

(Linux) purge old kernels; apt autoremove; apt clean.

(Windows) CCleaner etc. followed by defrag.

• Fill free space with zeros:

(Linux) reboot to advanced options->recovery mode->root; df to determine root partition; mount -n -o remount,ro -t ext4 /dev/sda1 /; zerofree -v /dev/sda1; systemctl poweroff.

(Windows) (cmd as admin) sdelete.exe c: -z (may stick on 100% for a while).

• Close down VM.

• Determine UUID with vboxmanage list hdds

• vboxmanage modifyhd UUID --compact

For these, Linux needs zerofree to be installed, while Windows needs sdelete (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/sys...nloads/sdelete).

qrange · 10-08-2018, 03:37 AM

yeah, but that is rather tedious, this trim thing is neat when it works.

@business_kid
yes its console command. seems there is no gui option for 'discard' yet. pity.

edit:
in any case, consolidating free space would help a lot, but most filesystems scatter data.

business_kid · 10-08-2018, 05:37 AM

I have a windows 10 vdi that is getting out of hand.

That has such an awful %$&£@€! interface. CCleaner is stuck at 100 percent (well, Vbox is over 100% in top). Is that normal? Mind you, it has a half share of meager resources.

I only dip into windows in absoloute necessities. Even then, a rusty Vista starts quicker, outperforms w10 and has a much more pleasing interface. It uses half the space. Is there a way to get rid of that sucky alphabetic listing of useless bits I get in the Start menu. I just want to get in to set up stuff, or use one program.

Code:

bash-4.4$ ls -lh Mint-19_/*.vdi Vista/*.vdi Windoze\ 10/*.vdi
-rw------- 1 dec users 12G Oct  3 14:49 Mint-19_/Mint-19.0.vdi
-rw------- 1 dec users 29G Oct  2 12:26 Vista/Vista.vdi
-rw------- 1 dec users 50G Oct  8 11:34 Windoze 10/Windoze 10.vdi

And where have they hidden defrag?

hydrurga · 10-08-2018, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by business_kid

I have a windows 10 vdi that is getting out of hand.

That has such an awful %$&£@€! interface. CCleaner is stuck at 100 percent (well, Vbox is over 100% in top). Is that normal? Mind you, it has a half share of meager resources.

I only dip into windows in absoloute necessities. Even then, a rusty Vista starts quicker, outperforms w10 and has a much more pleasing interface. It uses half the space. Is there a way to get rid of that sucky alphabetic listing of useless bits I get in the Start menu. I just want to get in to set up stuff, or use one program.

Code:

bash-4.4$ ls -lh Mint-19_/*.vdi Vista/*.vdi Windoze\ 10/*.vdi
-rw------- 1 dec users 12G Oct  3 14:49 Mint-19_/Mint-19.0.vdi
-rw------- 1 dec users 29G Oct  2 12:26 Vista/Vista.vdi
-rw------- 1 dec users 50G Oct  8 11:34 Windoze 10/Windoze 10.vdi

And where have they hidden defrag?

Yup, I only maintain a Windows 10 VM because I support some people who use it. The thing that gets me is how long the updates can take. Anyway, installing Classic Shell gives you back a reasonable start menu. If you type "defrag" into the search box, you will find the link to the defragger, but if you still can't find it, the executable is at %windir%\system32\dfrgui.exe.

business_kid · 10-08-2018, 06:09 AM

Thanks. It is AWFUL, but I have little choice because they are cutting off all others. Vista is already EOL. I'll get that classic shell when I've finished on the disk, if I finish on the disk ... :-/.

EDIT: I just noticed your location for defrag

Quote:

%windir%\system32\dfrgui.exe.

Are they still writing 32 bit software for 64 bit pcs? how sad. This is the system that's going to go for evermore - half 32 bit?

There's fully functional linux systems that are only 64 bit, and a compatibility layer has to be installed for 32 bit. Slackware is probably a good example, because of the detail you get on the 32bit layer.

hydrurga · 10-08-2018, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by business_kid

Thanks. It is AWFUL, but I have little choice because they are cutting off all others. Vista is already EOL. I'll get that classic shell when I've finished on the disk, if I finish on the disk ... :-/.

If you just need a Windows VM, and it doesn't need specifically to be Windows 10, then Windows 8.1 is still quite useable and will be supported for several years. I use it for some of my Windows work, although I do use Windows 7 as my main Windows VM and will continue doing so until support is dropped (and then I'll move everything over to 8.1). Again, Classic Shell makes its start menu normal again.

business_kid · 10-08-2018, 08:20 AM

For completeness, further to Post #5.

I don't know your version of Virtualbox, I'm on 5.2.16 and the options Are

CCleaner & defrag as you said
I got no option to fill with zeroes until sdelete
sdelete64 sure ate up the (little)cpu. Options OK.
vboxmanage is completely different. The best I could manage was 'vboxmanage modifymedium /path/to/Windoze\ 10.vdi --compact

The effect was DRASTIC

Code:

bash-4.4$ ls -lh Mint-19_/*.vdi Vista/*.vdi Windoze\ 10/Windoze\ 10.vdi
-rw------- 1 dec users 12G Oct  3 14:49 Mint-19_/Mint-19.0.vdi
-rw------- 1 dec users 29G Oct  2 12:26 Vista/Vista.vdi
-rw------- 1 dec users 26G Oct  8 14:00 Windoze 10/Windoze 10.vdi
bash-4.4$

As you can see, the disk size was nearly halved. I must have allocated too much space, but there's at least one 15G software suite I may have to install some dark day in the future, and perhaps 2 or 3:-((.

hydrurga · 10-08-2018, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by business_kid

For completeness, further to Post #5.

I don't know your version of Virtualbox, I'm on 5.2.16 and the options Are

CCleaner & defrag as you said
I got no option to fill with zeroes until sdelete
sdelete64 sure ate up the (little)cpu. Options OK.
vboxmanage is completely different. The best I could manage was 'vboxmanage modifymedium /path/to/Windoze\ 10.vdi --compact

The effect was DRASTIC

Code:

bash-4.4$ ls -lh Mint-19_/*.vdi Vista/*.vdi Windoze\ 10/Windoze\ 10.vdi
-rw------- 1 dec users 12G Oct  3 14:49 Mint-19_/Mint-19.0.vdi
-rw------- 1 dec users 29G Oct  2 12:26 Vista/Vista.vdi
-rw------- 1 dec users 26G Oct  8 14:00 Windoze 10/Windoze 10.vdi
bash-4.4$

As you can see, the disk size was nearly halved. I must have allocated too much space, but there's at least one 15G software suite I may have to install some dark day in the future, and perhaps 2 or 3:-((.

Great to see!

I'm running VirtualBox 5.2.18 r124319 on Mint 19 MATE.

sdelete.exe c: -z fills the unused file space on C: with zeroes automatically.

modifyhd works on my machine, although it is an older vboxmanage command and now mapped to modifymedium. Both should work, but thanks for the heads-up - I'll change that in my notes.

It doesn't really matter how much space you allocate for a dynamic VDI - the file will only grow when it needs to and is only large enough in reality to contain the guest, so you can "allocate" as much as you want without affecting the real file size.

business_kid · 10-08-2018, 01:12 PM

Figured out the overloading. Windows is using 100% of ram available to it, & swapping out (defragging vista this time); Linux feels crowded but is going ok. If I hadn't an ssd, this would be an overnight job. It's the first defrag for vista, which has been there some time (Jun 2017). I still haven't got to sdelete. From top in the host

Code:

   PID USER      PR  NI    VIRT    RES    SHR S  %CPU  %MEM     TIME+ COMMAND                                                                    
 5031 dec       20   0 4896416   3.1g   3.0g S 100.3  55.1 115:12.66 VirtualBox

Interestingly, windoze 10 picked up the correct screen resolution for the 1st time. There was an update downloaded when I closed it to clean up, and applied after. Allowing for menubars, I want 1600x788, and I got it! Wonders never cease, it seems when m$ exceeds my low expectations. God help poor guys having to work with this stuff...